R O B E RS

TM I T H S O N
LandReclamation
and the Sublime
THOMASDREHER

LAND RECLAMATION

many states, only superficialmeasuresare required. In

some cases,the fines for neglectare lessexpensivethan
For the group exhibitionof contemporary art Sonsbeek
the measuresthemselves.3
'71
in the Dutch city of Arnhem, Robert Smithsonrealized Beginningin 1972,Smithsonattempted to win American
Broken Circle and Spiral Hill in an inactive sand-pit in
firms for Land Reclamation projects. Of Smithson's
E m m e n .O n a c o n i c a lm o u n d , a s p i r a lp a t h r u n s c o u n t e r projects being plannedjust before his accidentaldeath,a
clockwise. At the top of the Spiral Hill is an observation
TailingPond in Creede, Colorado had the greatest chances
platform, from which the best view of Broken Circle,
for becomingrealized.The TailingPond containsresidues,
located on the edge of the flooded gravel pit, underneath
which are produced as a result of the erosion of metal
an embankment,is possible.Two circularsegments- a
o r e . O v e r a p e r i o d o f 2 5 y e a r s ,n i n e m i l l i o nt o n s w e r e t o
d a m a n d a c a n a l- a r e l a i d o u t a r o u n d a n i n n e r c i r c l e ,
be conductedto the terracing.A circular 'dam tapering
which is divided into two segmentsof water and earth.
into road' with a diameter of 2000 feet (50.8 meters) was
That which is water in the one half, is earth in the other
to be directed around the terraces,with their concave
half. ln Broken Circle, two semicirclescorrespondto one
downward leadingcurves. In addition, a street was
another formally and are simultaneously
opposed in terms
planned,which was to bisectthis circle and the 'graded
of material,Somewhat removed from the center of the
b a s i n 'a r o u n d i t . s
circle lies a large boulder. The rock is one of the largestof
The KennecottCopper Corporation declinedits support.
'Bingham
its kind in Holland. lt was carried here during the lce Age
For their enormous
Mine' rn Utah, with its three
by a glacierwhich ran diagonallyacrosspresent-day
mile wide hole, Smithsonhad suggesteda circularlake.6
Holland. The materializedpresenceof a center disturbed
Four dams comprisedof circularsegmentswere to lead
Smithson.The expenseto remove the erratic block,
into a center consistingonly of water. With this liquid
however, was too great. Finally,he thought: lt became a
center between curved dams, the miningterraceswould
dark spot of exasperation, a geological gangrene on the
have appeared as the outer ringsof an inwardly (counter'heart
sandy expanse...akind of glacial
of darkness' - a
clockwise)or outwardly (clockwise)rotating whirlpool.
warning from the lce Age.l
Smithson'sproposalsfor Land Reclamationprojects of
The centripetal,upward winding spiral path and the
mining pits formed as a result of inexpensivesurfacemining
centrifugalBroken Circle 2 with its dam and canal,
made more expensiverestoration,such as refilling,for
complement each other as much as they neutralizeeach
example, unnecessary.
Combinesactive in the mining of
other.
raw materialsneverthelesspreferred to transform the
The sand-pitwas already intended as a recreationarea
devastatedland into recreationaiareas;they could then
when Smithsonchose the site. In reactionto the local
advertisewith this that they would be leavingthe land in a
population'sacceptanceof the project, Smithson's
much better conditionthan it ever had before.TSmithson,
contributionto the exhibitionwas maintaineoas a
o n t h e o t h e r h a n d , p l a n n e dp a r k - l i k em o n u m e n t s ,i n w h i c h
permanent installation.
the loss of non-regenerativeresourceswould not be
The government of the US State of Ohio resolvedin April
h u s h e du p .
'King
1972 that owners of abandonedmining pits must adopt
The
County Arts Commissionof Seattle' organized
precautionarymeasuressince,with high miningwalls,
Earthworks: Land Reclamationas Sculpture with seven
poisonousacidsare formed as a result of the combiningof
artists in 1979.For this exhibition,Robert Morris realizeda
carbon and air. These acidscontribute to the hot-house
project within a defunct coal mine on the edge of Kent
effect. Sincethen, in Ohio, the gradient of abandoned
Valley. Except for the largesttrees, Morris had all
m i n i n gp i t s m u s t n o t e x c e e d3 5 " . I n 1 9 7 7 ,P r e s i d e n t
vegetationremoved. The remainingtrees were cut to a
Carter signedthe Surface Mining Control and Reclamation
height of approximately6 feet (l.B meters) and painted
Act, which specifiesthat revenuefrom operatingcoal
black with creosote, The mining pit was divjded into six
mines be chargeda supplementarytax and that the
descendingterraces and planted with clover.sThe green,
individualfederal states be responsiblefor the regulationof
terraced mine became a memorial to the exploitationof
these measures.The money collectedfrom this
nature.
supplementarytax is accruedto the Department of the
In terms of his Earth Art projects, MichaelHeizer, unlike
lnterior's Office of Surface Mining. This 'department'
Morris, was interestedsolely in artistic aspects,even when
distributesthe money to the 'Abandoned Mined Lands
working in abandoned mines: I don't support reclamationReclamationCouncils'(AMLR) of the federal states. ln
art sculpture projects.9

26

!'
1 :

Robert SMITHSON

Eroken Circle, l97l-72and SpiralHill, l97l

(Emmen, Holland) Courtesy John Weber Gallery, New York

Heizer'sprojectEffigy
Morris' projectsand especially
throw light
Tumulion the BuffaloRockMesa(1983-85)
in Americaafter
upon the financingof Land Reclamation
of the
of the 1977Act. The Foundation
Carter'ssigning
Ottawa SilicaCompany,whichownedthe former coal
selectedand paidthe artist.
minesalongthe lllinois'River,
donated
the
landto the Stateof lllinois,
Furthermore,
they
'Buffalo
RockStatePark'.r0On
whichintegratedit into the
by AMLR,Heizerformedfive
the landdecontaminated
regionalanimals
from wallsof earthwith
forms recalling
'diffractedgestalt'r
I of the largeearth
linearedges.The
wallscan only be seeniryldfView from an aircraft.Earlier,
the lndiansof the northernpart of lllinoishad alsobuilt
animalforms('effigy
suchwallsof earth representing
to ecology,but
tumuli'):Heizerwas not makingreferences
ratherto history.
Smithsonbecamefor Morrisa stimulusfor ecologically
basedoutdoorart, whichwould hinderfurtherdamage
exploitationof nature.l2
causedby the nonregenerative
contextualart transformsthe devastated
This ecological,
without
landinto public,grasscoveredopen spaces,
of the devastation.
concealing
the consequences
necessary,
with
Intervention
is reducedto the ecologically
accentsalsoreferringto the exploitationof nature.
and
was interestedin both ecological
WhereasSmithson
of landscape
architecture
and planning,
aestheticquestions
between
Morrislimitedhimselfto exploringthe difference
economyand ecology.Heizer'sEffigyTumuli,on the other
conflictsin a history
hand,withdrawsfrom ecological
orientedoark situation.

AND THE PICTURESQUE

THE SUBLIME
In his last article,FrederickLaw Olmstedand the
a relationship
Smithsonestablishes
Landscape,l3
Dialectical
means
of
the
sublimeas
discourse
by
both to aesthetic
Smithson
well as to the traditionof the picturesque.
'Central
Park'(Manhattan,lB5Banalyzes
New York's
1874),whichwas laidout by Olmstedand CalvertVaux
'man-made
in the faceof strong
wasteland'ra
over a
Smithsonrefersto
oppositionon the part of speculators.
- treatiseson the
the - for Olmstedparadigmatic
picturesque
WilliamGilpin(1724-1804)
by the Englrshman
Edmund
Following
and Sir UvedalePrice(1747-1829).
definitions
of the conceptsof the
Burke's(17291797)
beautifuland the sublimers
, Giloinand Pricesituatethe
picturesque
betweenthesetwo poles.Accordingto Gilpin,
of the sublime,arousedby simple
the strongimpression
of
representations
ideas,is weakenedin picturesque
landscapes
by varietythroughnarrativeelements,suchas
ruins,cottages,people,etc.r6
Smithsondid not placehisEarthworksin picturesque,
landscapes,
but ratherin uniformand vacant
diversified
'scenes
Furthermore,
of desolation'.17
ones,preferablyin
mentionedabove,he did not
in the Land Reclamations
whichprovokes
work with the varietyof the picturesque,
attention,but ratherwith uniformity.Burkehad described
and uniformity of parts as artificialinfinite in
the succession
whichis requisite
the senseof the sublime:/. Succession;
that the parts may be continuedso long, and in sucha
direction, as by their frequent impulseson the senseto
77

Robert SIYITHSON /s/andProject, 1970

P e n c io
l n p a p e r 4 8 x 6 l c m C o u r t e s yl o h n
W e b e r G a l l e r y ,N e w Y o r k

'/-,
.-;'

\ :*'r a

ts

. f
.aYa'.=i::i \ \. "

.o;.

U?-

t'.*\'tA
7

;:\'ta

--*

i a.'\
(:,;t--l '

''r'1"'ol]impressthe imaginationwith an idea of their progress

b e y o n d t h e i r a c t u a ll i m r t s .
2. Uniformity; becauseif the figuresof the parts should be
changed,the imaginationat every changefinds a check,
you are presentedat every alterationwith the termination
o f o n e i d e a ,a n d t h e b e g r n n i nogf a n o t h e r ;b y w h i c h m e a n s
i t b e c o m e si m p o s s i b l e
t o c o n t i n u et h a t u n i n t e r r u p t e d
p r o g r e s s i o nw, h i c h a l o n e c a n s t a m p o n b o u n d e do b j e c t s
t h e c h a r a c t e ro f i n f i n i t y . r s

CENTER
AND PERIPHERY

In two of his numerousarticles,Robert Smithsonquoies

the following sentenceby BlaisePascal(1673 1662):Nature
is an infinite sphere whose center is everywhere and
whose circumferenceis nowhere.22
The JansenistPascalrejected.Jesuitcasuistryand
'metaphysical
p r o o f f o r t h e e x i s t e n c eo f G o d ' , F o r
Smithson,Pascal'ssearchfor meaningbetween intuition
a n d p h i l o s o p h i c ac lo g n i t i o n b
, e t w e e n u n c o n d i t i o n af al i t h
Smithson'sSpiralJetty,)eSpiralHill and drawingsof spiral
and rationalskepticism,became a stimulant.Pascalwrote:
Earth Art projects can be analyzedin terms of Burke's
Car, enfin, qu'est-ce que I'homme dans la nature? Un
'uniformity'
'succession'.
c r i t e r i ao f
and
And Gilpin's
nant l'gard de l'rnfinr,un tout l'gard du nant, un
. c r i t e r i ao f ' s i m p l i c i t y ,' 'c o n t i n u a t i o na' n d ' e x t e n s i o n e' x p l a i n milieu entre rien et tout. lnfiniment
loign de comprendre
S m i t h s o n ' s p i r a lE a r t h w o r k s w
, h e r e a sW i l l i a m L o c k ' s
les extrmes; la fin des choseset leurs principes sont pour
' r e p e t i t i o n ' ,' f o r m a l i t y '
'regularity'
c r i t e r i ao f
and
a p p l yt o
lui invinciblementcachsdans un secret impntrabte...Ce
m i n i m a l i sst c u l p t u r e sb y D o n a l dJ u d d ,S o l L e W i t t , R o b e r t
milieu qui nous est chu en partage tant toujours distant
M o r r i s a n d S m i t h s o n( 1 9 6 a6 Q , w h i c h c o n s i s to f s e r i e so f
des extrmes, qu'importe qu'un homme ait un peu plus
regular or regularlyvarying,massiveunits and/or intervals. d'intelligencedes choses?S'il en a, il les prend un peu de
G i l p r nw r i t e s i n a l e t t e r t o L o c k w r i t t e n o n S e p t e m b e r2 9 ,
plus haut, n'est-il pas toujours, infiniment loign du bout,
l7B2: Now if this be just, there must be a conttnuattonet la dure de notre vie ne l'est-elle pas galement
not a repetitron, of the same idea...the continuation of one infiniment de l'ternit, pour durer dix ans davantage7.z3
'eternity'
'infinity'
large object, ranging uninterruptedly, & uniformty, through
S m r t h s o ns e c u l a r i z e P
d ascal's
and
into
'
g
e
o
l
o
g
i
c
a vast space. Simplicity is the principal source of sublimity,
t i m e ' , 2 ai n t h e f a c e o f w h i c h t h e t i m e o f ( h u m a n
as variety is of beauty.za
and) art history become relativized:When one scansthe
I n t h e i m m e d i a t e l ye v i d e n tc o m p l e m e n t a r i t oy f t h e c i r c u l a r ruined sites of prehistory one sees a heap of wrecked
segmentof the Broken Circle in Emmen, the double
maps that upsets our present art historical limits..,There
i n t e r r u p t i o no f t h e c i r c l ea p p e a r sa s i n a t o t a l c o r r e l a t i o n
are...no traces of an end or a beginning.)s
( ' c o n t i n u a t i o n ' , ' u n i f o r m i t yo' )f r e g u l a ri n t e r v a l s
The potentiallyrandomly inwardly and outwardly
( ' s u c c e s s i o n 'n) o
, t a s d j v i s l o nf o r t h e s a k eo f v a r i e t y .
e x p a n d a b l es p i r a lw h i c h c a n b e e n t e r e d b y t h e v i e w e r
S m i t h s o n ' so e u v r e e n c o m p a s s etsh e s u b l i m ea n d t h e
representsa standpointthat is alwaysdistant from
'nothingness' 'the
p i c t u r e s q u et:h e g r e a t g e s t u r ei n g r a n d , s i m p l e ,e x p a n s i v e
and
inftnite'b
: eginning
and end are
and raw nature, next to the picturescuein fantastic
a b s e n t ,o n l y a d i s t a n c eb e t w e e nt h e s e i s p r e s e n t .
drawingsfrom 1970with the title EntroprcLandscapeand
lsland Projecf. ln project drawings such as Floating lstand;
From Smithson,there are two interpretationsof the
To Travel around Manhattan lsland from 1970 and
r e l a t i o n s h io
p f c e n t e r a n d p e r i p h e r ym e n t i o n e db y P a s c a l :
Meandering lsland (Little Fort lsland, Main-e)from 197l,
a.) Center and periphery are opposrJes,both of which
p i c t u r e s q u eE a r t h w o r k sa r e p r o p o s e d . T l
refer to the other: You then have a dialecticbetween the

28

p o i n t a n d t h e e d g e : . . . ak i n d o f P a s c a l i acna l c u l u sb e t w e e n
the edge and the middle or the fringe and the center.26
b.) The center is absent and still or no longer negatively
definable by the periphery: The finite present of the center
annihilitates itself in the presence of the infinite fringes.2T
ln two projects,Smithsonaddressesthe relatronsbetween
center and periphery particularlyclearlyin the senseof a.)
and b.).
ln regards to a.): In Texas Overflow, according to
Smithson'sdrawingsfrom I 970,28a round elevationof Iight
limestone(or bright yellow sulfuricstones)and earth was
to be constructedin a semicircular,abandonedmining pit.
Into this elevation,asphaltwas to be pumped: a closed
circle of tar was to open itself up while streamingpast
towering limestoneinto the pit.
l n r e g a r d st o b . ) : l n 1 9 6 9 ,S m i t h s o nh a d a s p h a l tp o u r e d
down the embankmentof a garbagedump in Rome (Cava
di Selce).2e
The black mass ran along the channelsof the
eroded hillside.ln Asphalt Rundown, as in Iexas
Overflow, a continuous,informallyextensivesurfacewas
created. A primary form as the central startingpoint of
the extension,however, was lacking.In one drawing, the
rectangularloadingareas of four trucks are the source of
an entropy of 1000 tons of Asphalt.30The dried asphalt
was the trace of an action, which referred to an absent
source, an absent center. The hardenedtar surfaceswere
exposed to future soil erosion,to which they - in
contrast to their original,hot fluid state - were no longer
able to adapt. Asphalt Rundown, as long as it did not fall
'in
into ruin, was
a state of arrested disruption'.31
The Earthworks Asphalt Rundown and Texas Overflow
are narrativeand therefore picturesque,becausethey can
be read as traces of actions,which proceededfrom a
center to a periphery. Smithson'ssublimeEarthworks
abandonthis readability.With the complementarityof
direction and counter-directionin the simultaneously
progressiveand regressivespiralsand the reversely
symmetric analogy in Broken CircleL , traces of an actiontime are negated. Asphalt Rundown and lexas Overflow,
unlikethe sublimeEarthworks,cannot be entered, but
only viewed and are, therefore, as a result of their
pictorial nature, picturesque.

ABSENCE
The sublimerepresents,accordingto lmmanuelKant
(17741804),the expressionof a differencebetween the
subject of representation(an idea or a perception)and
representation:if - saysKant - the subjectcannot be
adequatelyrepresentedin sensualmedia, then the
'objective
inadequacyof the power of imagination'should
be expressed Erhaben ist, was auch nur denken zu
knnen ein Vermgen des Gemts beweiset, das jeden
Mastab der Sinnebertrifft.32
Lyotard usesthe sublimeto confront the
Jean-Frangois
'philosophical
d i s c o u r s eo f m o d e r n i t y ' 3 1
inaugurated
by
Kant and Hegel with a questionthat is not inferablefrom
I Why does somethinghappen rather than
consciousness:
nothing?3a
Kant's specialsphere of the sublimeis transformed by
Lyotard into an inquiry into the adequacyof rationalityon

Robert SMITHSON sphalt Rundown, li969 (Roma, ltaly)

Courtesy Estateof R.S. and JohnWeber Gallery, New York

the whole: what would still need to be explained,if it is

questionablewhether there is indeed anythingto explain at
all?Smithsontermed the sphere of being not inferable
'dimension
the
of the absence'S3sfrom consciousness
the absolutelyunfathomable,the center of being closedto
CONSCIOUSNCSS.

- is
I n t h e s u b l i m e ,t h e n a r r a t i v e- t h e p i c t u r e s q u e
abstainedfrom as far as oossibleto be able to concentrate
'the 'self
: the
and the non-self'36
on the border between
s i m p l e ,c o n t i n u o u sf o r m a s c i p h e ri n s i m p l e ,e x t e n s i v e
landscapeformations confrontsthe viewer-selfwith
too little to stimulate
somethingforeign, which possesses
the fantasy.The form appearsdetachedfrom its origin:
the formal continuityof a spiraldoes not appear conclustve
to the recipient - as with Texas Overflow and Asphalt
Rundown - only after the reconstructionof its processes
of realization.ln walkingalong the dams, the recipientsare
given time to fill the void with their own projections- or
they simply take note of the being of the work in a
'walking
time', whrch is exempt from goal directed haste.
' s i m p l i c i t y '',c o n t i n u a t i o n '
and
W i t h i t s p r o p e r t i e so f
'extension',
receiving-self
Earthwork
casts
the
the sublime
back onto itself.

THE PRESERVATION
VERSUS
THE DOMINATION
OF NATURE
In Heizer's Earthworks,which are pictorialand, at the
same time, sculpturallybreak the pictorial,natural and
artificialmaterialsare subjugatedto a technicaldomination
organizedaccordingto artistic points of view. This is true
not only for Effigy Tumuli, but also for geometric works
such as Complex One/City (197276)37of compressed
earth, concrete and steel in the Nevada Desert. Heizer
provokes the viewer to reconstructhis self-contained

29

Robert SIYITHSON One of the Nrne drawingsfor Texas Overflow, 1970

Drawing 30 x 45 cm CourtesyJohn Weber Gallery, New York

monumentsw
, h e r e a sS m i t h s o nw
, ith hiscontextualized,
water permeated, spiralworks, offers passagesbetween
nothingnessand infinity.With Smithson'sSpiralJetty or
Broken Ctrcle, the viewer is 'in' the work; with Heizer, on
t h e o t h e r h a n d ,h e i s ' i n f r o n t o f ' o r ' o n ' i t : b e t w e e nt h e
representativeform of the Tumuli and the possibilities
of
walkingon them, exists at best a distancedcorrelationin
c o n t r a s tt o S m i t h s o n ' sd a m s ,w h i c h f e i g nt h e p o s s i b i l i t oy f
w a l k i n gu p o n t h e m . T h e v i e w e r w h o w a l k s o n S m i t h s o n ' s
SpiralJetty or Broken Crrcle looks beyond the work itself
o n t o t h e s u r r o u n d i n ge n v i r o n m e n -t T h e r e l a t i o n s h i o
pf
t h e v i e w e r ' i n ' t h e w o r k t o t h e l a n d s c a pies , f o r S m i t h s o n ,
at least as important as the top view. With Heizer, on the
other hand, the view o{ the Tumuli from an airplaneis of
considerableimportanceto the perceptionof its total form
a n d d e s c r i p t i v ef u n c t i o n .S m i t h s o n ' sf o r m s a r e e a s i l y
recognizablefrom the ground.
Whereas, in Effigy TumuI, Heizer romanticizesthe past,
Morris, in his Land Reclamationfor the 'KingsCounty Arts
C o m m i s s i o no f S e a t t l e ' ,d e m o n s t r a t e st h e d a r k s i d e o f t h e
present. With his works, which are both ecologically
o r i e n t e d i n M o r r i s ' s e n s ea n d f o r m a l l yc o n s c i o u si n H e i z e r ' s
sense,Smithsonappearsto mediate between both of
these standpointsby preservingtheir contrast in the
s u b l i m e .E c o l o g i c a l o
l yr i e n t e d L a n d R e c l a m a t i o a
nn d t h e
post-modern interpretationof the sublime,radicalizedto a
c r i t i c i s mo f r a t i o n a l i t ya, r e c o m p l e m e n t st:h e u n b r o k e n
d o m i n a t i o no f n a t u r e i n t h e m o d e r n t r a d i t i o ns r a n o sI n
'objective
o p p o s i t i o nt o t h e a d m i s s i o no f t h e
i n a d e q u a co
yf
t h e p o w e r o f i m a g i n a t i o ne' m b o d i e dw i t h i n t h e s u b l i m e .I

B. The Drawingsof Robert Morrr. ExhibitionCatalogue.WilliamsColege Museum

o f A r t , W i l l i a m s t o w nM, a s s a c h u s e1t t9s8 2 u
, n p a g n a t e dJ ;. B E A R D S L E Y ,
Earthworksand Beyond...,New York 1985,pp. 90-95
9 . l Y . H .i n : D . B O U R D O N ,W o r k i n gw i t h E a r t h . . .i,n : S m i t h s o n i aNno, . 1 7 ,A p r i l
1 9 8 6p, . 7 4 .
1 0 .D . M c G l L L M
, . H E I Z E RE: f f i g yT u m u l ,N e w Y o r k t 9 9 0 ,p p . t 6 , 7 t , 3 5 , i t , 4 0
(lY.H. receivedan additional$ 25,000from the nNationalEndowmentfor the
Arts))
I l . l Y c G l L Lp, . 4 3
12, ln: J. BEARDSLEY,
R.5. and the Dialectical
Landscape,
in: Arts Magazine,yay
1978,p. 134 I, BEARDSLEY,
Earthworksand Beyond...,New York 1985,pp.
89ff. HarveyFite is mentonedhere as a forerunner,whosemodiflcation
of an
abandonedcupricsulphatepit from 1939to 1976did not, however,resultfrom
ecological
necessity.
For anotherecologically
orientedproject,whichsoughtto
protect the environmentfrom further destructionsee: H. STACHELHAUS,
/oseph
B e u y sD
, s s e l d o r1f 9 8 7 p
, . l8l
1 3 .R . S .p, p . | 1 7 ,1 2 8
1 4 .R . S . p, . I I 7
15. E. BURKE,n: J.T. BOULTON (ed.),A Philosophicat
tnquiryinto the Originof
our ldeasof the Sublimeand Beautiful,London 1958
1 6 .P . B A R B I E RW, i l l i a mG l L P l N . . .O
, x f o r d 1 9 6 3p
, p. 98-t2l
17.W. GlLPlN,Dialogues
on VariousSublects,
London 1807,pp. 393-397;
B A R B I E Rp,, 1 0 9
1 8 .B U R K Ep, . 7 4
1 9 .H O B B Sp, p . 1 9 1 - t 9 7R; . S . p, p . 1 0 9I l 6
2 0 . B A R B I E Rp,. 1 2 9
71. R.S.:Drawings.ExhibitionCatalogue,
The New York CulturalCenter,New
Y o r k 1 9 7 4 ,p p . ) 4 , 3 7 , 7 4 : R . S .1 9 3 8 1 9 7 3
Z :e i c h n u n g e E
n .x h i b i t i oC
natatogue.
GalerieRolf Ricke,Cologne1980,unpaginated;
R.S,:Drawingsfrom the Estate.
E x h i b i t i oC
n a t a l o g u eW. e s t f l i s c hLeasn d e s m u s e uM
m, n s t e r1 9 8 9 p
, . 1 3 5 ;E .
ISAI, Unearthed:Drawings,Collages,Writings,New York 1991,p. 184
placedSmithson's
Hobbsand Beardsley
Earthworksin the traditionof the
picturesque,
wherebythe latter regardsthe landscapes
chosenby Smithsonas
sublme (. BEARDSLEY,
TraditionalAspectsof New LandArt, in: Art lournal, Fall
1 9 8 2p
, p , 2 2 7 ,) 3 1 ; H O B B S p
, . 2 9 ) .A d c o c k ,K u s p iat n d S a y r ec o n n e c t e d
Smithson's
EarthArt to the sublime(C. ADCOCK, The Big Bad..., tn Arts
M a g a z i n eA,p r i l 1 9 8 3 p
, . 1 0 4 ;D . K U S P I TR, . S . ' sD r u n k e nB o a t( 1 9 8 1 )i,n : i d . N e w
Subjectivism...,
Ann Arbor/London1988,pp. 718,229: H.lY. SAYRE,The Object
of Performance...,
Chicago/London
1989,pp. 216 with note 13, 260ff.).Eachof
theseapproaches
is only partiailyadequate.
2 2 . Q u o t e dw i t h o u tr e f e r e n c ien : R . 5 . ,p p . 7 5 , 6 7 , 7 3 : a l s oq u o t e di n S m i t h s o n ' s
w o r d s i n : T S A I ,p . 1 0 6 .F r o m S m i t h s o n m
' s e t h o do f q u o t i n gi,t f o l l o w st h a t h e
copiedfrom JorgeLuisBorges'Ihe FearfulSphereof Pascal(accordrng
to Eva
S c h m i ditn : T S A I ,p . 1 2 5 ,f r o m i d , L a b y r i n t h sN, e w Y o r k 1 9 6 4 ,p p . 1 8 9 , 1 9 2I)n.
the originalit reads: C'est une sphereinfiniedont le centre est partout, la
circonference
nullepart (B. PASCAL,ln: L. BRUNSCHVICG,
(ed.)Pensees,
Parrs
1 9 0 4V
, o l . l , p , 7 3 ) I n 1 9 6 6 ,p l a y n go n B o r g e st'i t l e ,S m i t h s ow
n rote about
'fearful
Pascal's
sphere'(R.S.,
p. 34). Smithson's
understanding
of Pascalwas not
limited,however,to the contentof Borges'article- see alsohis noteson
Pascal's
dialectics
and hrscomparisonof Pascaland Descartesin: TSAI, p. 103.
23. PASCAL,pp. 78, 86ff.
2 4 . R . S . ,p . 8 9
2 5 . R . S . ,p p . 8 9 f f .
2 6 . R , S . p, . 1 6 8
2 7 . R . S . p, . 7 3
2 8 . ( n o t r e a l i z e dH) O B B S p
, p . l 9 8 f f . ;B E A R D S L E p
Y., 2 0
2 9 . H O B B Sp, p . 1 7 4 - ) 7 7
30. R.S.Drawingsfrom the Estate.Seenote 21, p. ll5
3 1 .R . S .p, . 8 7
32. L KANT, Kritik der Urteilskraft,Frankfurtam Yain 1977,pp. 172, 195
33. j. HABERMAS,
Der philosophische
Diskursder Moderne,Frankfurtam flain
1 9 8 5p, . 3 0
34. B. BLISTENE,
A Conversation
with J.-F.Lyotard,in: FlashArt, No. l2l,
I Y a r c h1 9 8 5 p
, . 33
35. R.S.,p. 103;cf. j.F. LYOTARD,Philosophie
und Malerei...,Berlin 1986,p. 35
3 6 . R . S . p, . 8 4
37. E.C. BAKER,Artrlvorkson the Land, in: Art in America,january-February
1 9 7 6 ,p p . 9 3 f f . ;f ' 1 c G l L Lp,p . l 9 f f .

Translation from the German by Gdrard A. Goodrow

Andreas Fritsch, Cologne.

l . R . S .W r i t i n g s . .N
. ,e w Y o r k 1 9 7 9p
, . 1 8 2 :c f . R . C ,H O B B S R
, . S . :S c u l p t u r e ,
lthaca/London
I 98| , pp. 139,708214
2 . H O B B Sp
, . 209
3. R, MORRIS,Notes on Art as/andLand Reclamation,
in: October, No. 12,
S p r n g 1 9 8 0 p, . 9 l ; H O B B S p
, . 2 1 7 :) . B E A R D S L E Y
E,a r t h w o r kasn d B e y o n d .
N e w Y o r k 1 9 8 9 ,p p . 9 7 f f .
4. Planecrashon July20, 1973,nearhis plannedEarthworkAmarillo Ramp,
StanleyMarshRanch,Amarrllo,Texas
5 . H O B B S ,p p . 7 7 4 - 7 2 7
6 . H O B B S ,p p . 2 2 3 f f .
7 . M O R R I Sp,. 9 0 ; H O B B Sp, . 2 1 9

30

and

Robert SIYITHSON (" l93B Passaic,New Jersey, + 1973 near Tecovas

Lake, Texas) iived and worked in New York.
T h o m a s D R E H E R( ' 1 9 5 7 ) i s a n a r t c r i t i c a n d l i v e s i n M u n i c h ,